The feud between Drake and Kendrick Lamar continues to set new precedents in the world of rap beef. Drake has filed a new lawsuit against his parent label, Universal Music Group, accusing the conglomerate of promoting a song that put his life and livelihood in immediate danger.
A new 91-page lawsuit filed in New York's Southern District Court today details three attempted home invasions the Canadian rapper experienced at his Toronto residence last spring — one involving the shooting of his security guard — and months of online hate. Drake is alleging in the petition that these break-ins, and the broader vitriol he experienced, are a direct result of UMG's release of Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," the targeted Drake diss-turned-hit single.
The lawsuit states that UMG knowingly committed defamation of character by releasing and promoting "Not Like Us" because the record's lyrics "advance the false and malicious narrative that Drake is a pedophile," use an aerial view of his home as the cover art to the song and inspire the public to "resort to vigilante justice in response."
"The recording cloaks cleverly dangerous lyrics behind a catchy beat and inviting hook. Capitalizing on those attributes, UMG used every tool at its disposal to ensure that the world would hear that Drake "like 'em young,'" the lawsuit reads. The filing goes on to cite a number of TikTok and YouTube postings that defame the rapper as a result of the song; shares a photo of a flyer that was posted around his neighborhood calling him a predator; and claims the musician had to pull his child out of school for fear of his safety.
Graham's attorneys allege that UMG heavily promoted the track in order to weaken Drake's reputation and devalue his brand as an artist with the intention of backing him into a corner and re-signing a deal that was favorable to the label.
This latest suit follows news that the Canadian rap star withdrew a previous filing against UMG and streaming giant Spotify, which accused the companies of launching a campaign that paid influencers, radio stations and others to promote the song last summer. Both lawsuits lean into UMG's power in the situation and downplay Lamar's part in the conflict as the artist who released the song laced with accusations of pedophilia and child grooming.
"UMG may spin this complaint as a rap beef gone legal, but this lawsuit is not about a war of words between artists. This lawsuit involves no claims against Kendrick Lamar or any other artist; instead, it is about UMG — the publisher and exclusive rights holder of Lamar's music, as well as Drake's — and its malicious decision to publish and promote" the track, the lawsuit reads.
In the months since it was released, "Not Like Us" has grown into a cultural phenomenon far larger than the initial beef. Aside from these lawsuits concerning the track, "Not Like Us" has become a West Coast anthem, has been streamed more than one billion times worldwide (and counting) and is nominated for five awards heading into the 2025 Grammys next month, including song and record of the year. Off the momentum of "Not Like Us," Kendrick Lamar has released a cinematic music video, hosted a Juneteenth concert in Los Angeles and dropped his sixth studio album, GNX, a body of work that doubles down on the message of separating himself from those in the culture he sees as fake, nefarious and fraudulent. By comparison, the tracks that Drake dropped in the wake of the pair's battle ("No Face" and "Housekeeping Knows" feat. Latto) have racked up streams but struggled to make the same impact.
Drake is suing UMG for an undisclosed amount in damages.
UMG denied the lawsuit's claims in a statement: "Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist—let alone Drake—is illogical," it begins. "We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success."
The statement says that the artist has "intentionally and successfully used UMG to distribute his music and poetry to engage in conventionally outrageous back-and-forth 'rap battles' to express his feelings about other artists" throughout his career, and that he now
"seeks to weaponize the legal process to silence an artist's creative expression and to seek damages from UMG for distributing that artist's music."
"We have not and do not engage in defamation—against any individual," it continues. "At the same time, we will vigorously defend this litigation to protect our people and our reputation, as well as any artist who might directly or indirectly become a frivolous litigation target for having done nothing more than write a song."
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